Gregor: Return of the Warrior
by alicat317
Summary: Gregor goes to New York after Mrs. Cormaci tells him she's ill. When Gregor reaches the city and goes to visit her, he finds that she has been kidnapped by rats in the Underland. He returns and enlists some of his old friends when a new prophecy surfaces.
1. Chapter 1

Gregor woke up to the sound of his alarm clock and leaned over to shut it off. He looked out his window at the barren land that was Virginia in late fall. He sighed and for the millionth time missed his old New York City apartment. But it wasn't really the apartment he missed because he liked his room here with its light blue walls and white carpet, the fact that it was 10 times the size of the other room, and that he had his own bathroom. He also liked that they had heat during the winter and air conditioning in the summer, luxuries they hadn't had before. He could remember all these things, even though it had been four years since they moved.

Gregor rolled onto his back and thought about New York. It was the place where they had laid his Grandmother down to rest, the place from where Mrs. Cormaci called him, and the place where Luxa was.

Luxa. Four years had done its wear on his memory, but he could still see her face in his mind. He missed her, but she had most-likely moved on. She probably would have become Queen by now and have found herself someone else. _She'll do great things for the Underland, heck, she already has! _Gregor thought, remembering her bond with Ripred. He sighed and got up; he had promised Boots the night before that he would make her pancakes for breakfast in the morning.

He walked out of his room and heard Boots and Lizzie laughing. _She was too young when it all happened, she probably doesn't remember. _He had thought about asking her a million times, but his mother had forbidden him from it. Besides, when she told him about the dreams with the giant talking bats and cockroaches, he knew she didn't remember anything.

"Gregor, you said you were gonna wake up early and make me pancakes, but since you're such a sleepy head, I got Lizzie to do it instead." Boots rubbed her finger in the leftover syrup on her plate and stuck it in her mouth.

"Here, I made you some too." Lizzie sat a huge stack of pancakes in front of him and began pouring syrup on them.

"Thanks Liz. So, what did you dream about, Boots?" Gregor asked through a mouthful.

"I drew a picture of it so I wouldn't forget; I'll go and get it!" Boots excitedly slipped off the chair she had been sitting on and ran out of the kitchen to her room.

Ever since they had moved to Virginia, Boots had drawn pictures of everything. When they had lived on the farm with Uncle Richard and Aunt Maggie she drew pictures of all the animals with her crayons. When they moved to their own house, she drew pictures of her family, the landscape and her friends. Then she started drawing pictures of the things she dreamed about, which were really memories of the Underland.

Boot's was a really great artist though, especially for seven. Her room was decorated with the pictures she drew and the pictures her parents had let her paint on the walls. She had an easel and a desk with every kind of drawing utensil imaginable; pencils, colored pens, markers, crayons, colored pencils, oil pastels, and paint.

"Here Gregor! Isn't it cool? I dreamt that I was riding on this giant cockroach's back and trying to teach him something, but I'm not sure what. It was really dark though and it was almost as if we were underground!" Boots pulled a picture from behind her back of Tick, her cockroach friend from the Underland. On top of Tick was the three year old version of Boots, clapping her hands and trying to teach him the Alphabet song.

"Cool." Gregor said it quietly since he knew exactly what was happening in this scene since he had witnessed it. He also knew who else had been there and that made his shoulders stoop lower.

"I also have this one, of a really pretty city, but there's no light so they had a bunch of torches everywhere!" She held up the other picture and it was of Regalia, the beautiful Underland city where the humans lived.

"Gosh Boots, they're both so good. I don't kn-" Gregor was interrupted by the phone ringing. He walked over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello Gregor, this is Mrs. Cormaci. I'm in the hospital and I want you to come back to New York to see me, and I wouldn't mind if you brought Margaret and Elizabeth too."

"Ms. Cormaci, you know I'm not allowed to go back , and my mow would would kill me if I brought Boots and Lizzie too."

"Gregor, this is extremely important! Defy your mother for just this once please. You have a Drivers License and a car, I don't see what else you might need to come down with your two sisters, maybe just a few bucks." Ms. Cormaci was getting highly aggravated that Gregor just wouldn't agree.

"I can't just skip town and give my Mother a heart attack, my Dad could go back into relapse if he gets to stressed! Besides I couldn't go back and not want to go **_back_**." Gregor knew his sisters would be listening now, so he couldn't mention anything about the Underland.

"I know, I know, but I...I'm dying Gregor, and I want to be able to say goodbye before I go. So, write your parents a note and give them this number. Just please come." He couldn't argue with her now that he knew she was dying. He was like a second Grandmother to him and he would want to say goodbye before she passed.

"Okay, we'll be on the road in a few hours." Gregor and Mrs. Cormaci said goodbye to each other, and Gregor hung up.

* * *

The old truck his uncle had given him wasn't made to hold three people and therefore the ride up to New York was rather uncomfortable. Boots was in the middle and she was elbowing everybody because she didn't get the window seat like she wanted. Lizzie was still trying to calm down after having a panic attack that they were doing something her parents would highly disapprove of. Gregor was leaving his Mother Voice-Mails to make sure his parents didn't overly freak out when they found out he had directly obeyed their strictest rule: Never go back to New York until after you're eighteen and don't tell them about it.

"We're here!"


	2. Chapter 2

Gregor knocked on Mrs. Cormaci's door; she had called him halfway through the trip that she was at home now, because she didn't have any extreme need to be in the hospital. They had sent her home with a nurse just in case something happened.

"Mrs. Cormaci? It's me, Gregor. Lizzie and Boots are here too. Mrs. Cormaci?" Gregor continued to knock and with no answer turned the door knob to make sure everything was okay.

The door opened wide, revealing the apartment. Random stuff littered the floor, chairs were turned over, and doors were ripped off the hinges. Pictures were ripped to shreds, the frames broken in half. Boxes were upside down, their contents strewn across the floor. Vases were shattered and so were some plates. The place looked as though a couple of thieves had come through, but still, where was Mrs. Cormaci?

Gregor and Lizzie ran through each of the rooms, lifting up turned over furniture and looking in closets for the old woman and her nurse.

"Nothing-here" Lizzie called on the verge of another anxiety attack. She was really worried, not as much as Gregor, but she still had genuinely cared for the women who had gotten them through many hard times in New York. If wasn't for her, who knew what would have happened to them during all that business with the Underland. She had taken care of her Father when all of them but him had gone to help the Underlanders and had taken care of her mother when their grandmother passed.

Boots was looking at the apartment from the door frame still. She wasn't scared to go in, she just was nervous about whether or not the thieves were still there. She thought about it and figured that if nobody had found anything after twenty minutes, nobody was probably there. Boots took a tentative step in the apartment and looked at all the garbage on the floor amongst all of it was a small piece of paper with horrible hand writing on it. It said:

_**Warrior, to get back your precious**_

_** Mrs. Cormaci, come back to the**_

_** Underland and meet us.**_

_**-The Rats**_

"Gregor? I found something!" Boots shouted. It sounded like a whole bunch of gibberish, but something at the back of her mind told her it was important. Though she couldn't quite place it, she knew she had the word Underland before.

"What is it?" Gregor asked running into the room.

"Here," She said, handing him the tiny slip of paper.

He swore under his breath because he didn't want Boots to hear. _Great, _he thought,_ if I go back there, I may never want to leave. And what if this is some sort of trap? What if I die or something happens else happens? What if Luxa __**has**__moved on?_

"What's going on?" Lizzie asked.

Gregor didn't know whether to tell her or not and what if she had another, really intense, panic attack and Boots freaked out. She didn't like it when Lizzie had attacks. Gregor also didn't want to take Boots with him, but he knew Lizzie would want to go and he couldn't leave Boots by herself in case they were gone for days.

Gregor didn't need to tell Lizzie anything though; the look on his face said it all. But he needn't have worried, because Lizzie had wanting to go back ever since they had moved away. She had searched in vain in Virginia for another passage. She hadn't ever seen Regalia other than when she went down her first and last time, and the city had been at war then. She also missed Ripred and had missed the few times they had talked. So, overall, she was overjoyed by the fact that they would be going back. She knew they would have all gone back anyway, so they at least had a good reason now.

"The Underland?" She said quietly.

Gregor nodded his head, surprised she had said so calmly and still wasn't freaking out. _She was the one who said she hadn't wanted to go to Virginia, maybe she misses Ripred. _

"Central Park or the Laundry Room?" He asked.

"What are you talking about Gregor? Now is not the time to be thinking about Laundry and walks in the park! Your friend is missing and all you're doing is nothing." Boots looked a mixture of confused and angry.

"I'll explain later Boots! Chill!" Gregor hated being so harsh to his little sister, but she was still that, little. He didn't want to explain about all the prophecies, adventures, and near death experiences now. He wasn't sure if he wanted too. Perhaps he could just say that this would be her first time, even though that was the biggest lie ever. Maybe he would just have Dulcet explain everything when they got to the Regailian Palace, because that's where he decided to go first. He would need a weapon and they had them.

"The Laundry room," Lizzie said, "It's safer since you don't have a flier anymore…" She trailed off feeling Guilty for mentioning Ares, Gregor's old bond who was killed when he and Gregor killed the Bane.

"Okay, let's go." Gregor willed his legs to move, but they stayed in the same spot because as excited as he was that he would be seeing his friends again after four years, he was also scared about seeing his friends after four years. He didn't know whether it would be the same or not. Hazard would be eleven like Lizzie; Vikus would be old if he had survived the stroke; Luxa could have a boyfriend; Howard could be, would be a real doctor; who knows what would have happened to Mareth, Perditta, Dulcet. For all Gregor knew, the whole city could be gone or taken over by Rats or died from the Warmblood virus. He knew he would just have to take his chances though.

"Gregor, where are we going? Gregor?" Boots was getting more confused. She had already concluded that he and Lizzie had already been to this Underland place, but what about her? And what was this Underland? And who were the Rats; a gang, a secret society, a group of terrorists? And why was her brother frozen in place when they were getting ready to go to this mysterious place? So many questions were on her mind right now, she had trouble thinking about each one individually.

Gregor took a deep breath and stepped into the hallway.

"The Underland, Boots. We're going to the Underland." And with that he strode to the stairs and started to descend.


	3. Chapter 3

Boots stood in the doorway, dumbstruck, before following Gregor and Lizzie down to the laundry they had passed on the way up.

She still had no idea what was going on or where they were going and it was quite frustrating that all Gregor would say to explain was "The Underland". She didn't know how they were supposed to get there through the laundry room either. As far as she had seen, there hadn't been an exit there. It seemed that her brother and sister had gone crazy, but it wasn't her place to question their judgment or their sanity for that matter; she was the one who used to go around babbling about giant Rats, Cockroaches, Bats, Spiders, Lightning Bugs, Lizards, Mice, and Ants. She also used to make a series of clicking noises that she had tried to talk to cockroaches with, but they just scuttled away.

"Are you both ready?" Gregor asked. "Okay then", he took a deep breath, "Who wants to go first?"

"Gregor, that's a laundry grate. Are you sure you're okay?" Boots gave him a questioning look.

"I will." Lizzie said, completely ignoring Boots. She was on the verge of a panic attack, but she really was excited about seeing Ripred and Hazard again. Plus she wanted to know what had happened to the mice and the rats and all of Regalia. She hoped they had thrived and rebuilt the city in the time Gregor had not been there as the warrior. Because of these things, Lizzie swallowed her fear down and took a few deep breaths before entering the Underland.

"Okay Boots, you're next!" Gregor had decided to go last to make sure there was someone in front of and behind Boots; someone could protect her from both directions. Lizzie had taken a few Karate lessons, so she at least knew the basics and Gregor was a Rager; that was the reason he had to be homeschooled instead of going to public like Boots and Liz.

Boots just gave Gregor a look and shook her head. She wanted some answers from Gregor about what the heck was going on because wasn't just going to go especially since she had heard her Mom tell Gregor never to go back to New York City. And yet, here they were.

"Boots, we don't have time for this, go! Lizzie could be in trouble and because you won't go, I can't help her."Gregor knew Boots was curious, but he was too excited and anxious to wait any longer. The thought of it all was like being on a caffeine high and sugar high at the same time.

"Fine, but I want to know what's going on when we get wherever we're going Gregor. I'm scared and you guys aren't telling me anything."Boots approached the grate went into it without letting him respond.

Gregor didn't waste any time. He strode over and with a last look at his old Laundry room, he followed Boots.

* * *

The feeling of falling, yet knowing you would eventually be fine, was disconcerting for Gregor, but for Lizzie and Boots, who didn't know if they would ever reach a bottom, it was terrifying. More so for Lizzie than Boots though, because Boots was having a faint sense of Deja Vu and thought it was a little fun; almost like being in a wind tunnel. The mist made it hard to see where the walls were or if there even were walls.

It took more time than Gregor remembered to reach the bottom, he had only used this entrance once so his memory of it was very foggy. After they each landed with small thump on the cold floor, he recalled a crevice in between two rocks that would lead to cockroaches who could take them to Regalia, so after making sure everyone was fine and pulling a brown paper bag from his back pocket for Lizzie, he squeezed through the tight fit and told his younger sisters to come through too.

Boots screamed and Lizzie seemed to go weak in the knees, but Gregor only stared, breathing deeply to slow his heart rate. Just as he had expected, three giant cockroaches were sitting in the room they room they had just come into. What he hadn't expected was how big they were. Obviously, his memory had failed because he knew the Cockroaches were big, he _had _remembered that, but he had forgotten just _how _big they were. They stood at about four feet tall, the same size as Boots was now, with long antennas and their wings folded down underneath shells on their backs.

As soon as they saw the three Overlanders they began to whisper amongst themselves excitedly and point at them, especially at Boots who was hiding behind Grgor's back and poking him incessantly. Gregor felt her, but decided he would answer all of her questions once they had reached Regalia.

"Princess, be you, princess?" The cockroach off to the left was first to speak.

Gregor and Lizzie looked at Boots reflexively, waiting for her to answer the Roach, but then remembered that she didn't they were talking to her.

"Yes, she's the Princess and I'm the Warrior and she's the other Princess and Code Breaker." Gregor just put it all in one sentence because he knew if he didn't, they'd all ask each one in turn who they were. Gregor didn't think they had time for that and was beginning to feel anxious and excited about being so close to people he hadn't seen in years.

"Temp, we take you to, Temp." Gregor agreed to this and climbed up on to the cockroach that later introduced herself to be Lil.

Boots looked at Gregor, eyes wide in fear, shock, and curiosity. She was asking him if they were really alright to climb on to and Gregor nodded his head yes.

"I carry princess, I carry!" Said the cockroach who was first to speak. Gregor motioned for Boots to climb onto this cockroach's back as to not hurt it's feelings.

"May I ride on your back?" Lizzie quietly and timidly asked the insect. It gave a curt not and lowered itself, allowing her to climb on.

At this point, all three roaches began to scurry; they were off.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry the last chapter took so long to put up, but I had a little bit of a writers block. It's gonna take a while for the next chapter because it's surprisingly hard to write a prophecy, so thumbs up to Sandwich who wrote a ton in a few years! Thank you to Klbooks who was my Beta Reader for this chapter and thanks to the very few people who have reviewed and put this on Story Alert.

* * *

**

Lizzie sat on Izz's back with her head down, her face red with embarrassment. As they walked through the streets of Regalia, people's heads turned and stared at them. If they had been normal Underlanders no one would be making a fuss, but they were Overlanders and looked fairly similar to the Warrior and his two sisters, the Princess and the Code Breaker.

When they rode through a part in the city, the loud market chatter would stop abruptly, making all six visitors uncomfortable and slightly uneasy. Then as they left the whispers and pointing began.

"Is that the warrior?"

"Could that be the princess?"

"Where's the code breaker?"

"What are the roaches doing here?"

"Is there a new prophecy?"

"Are we all going to die?"

"Is something going on?"

"Look at how hot _he _got!"

"Do you think he knows?"

"Do any of you have lives? And you, stop muttering to one another and pay for that or leave!" One shopkeeper or another would finally end the stares and Gregor would give him or her, a friendly nod.

"Why are we in Regalia again?" Gregor could feel butterflies start up in his stomach as he saw the quickly approaching palace. He had known that they would eventually come to Regalia, but he had hoped to stall the matter when he agreed to have the cockroaches take him to Temp.

"Live here, Temp, live here." Zip said simply as if that explained everything.

"Yes, I understand that, but _why _does he live here? Shouldn't he live with the rest of the roaches?" Gregor said this slowly, not to insult Zip's intelligence, but so she would understand what exactly it was he was asking.

"Temp, ask Temp." The roach said as they walked past the arena where Gregor first met Luxa. The cockroach wasn't being that big of a help. Gregor understood not to press her further though; he didn't want to make her frustrated and angry at him, for these cockroaches were easily offended.

"Okay Zip, okay." Gregor sighed defeated. They were nearing the draw bridge and his earlier butterflies had turned into nausea. Lizzie seemed to sense this and bit her lip but before she got the chance to open her mouth a very familiar face came into sight.

"Vikus!" Gregor and Lizzie shouted the name of their friend simultaneously.

Boots whipped her head around from where she had been studying the light source of this strange underground city, Regalia, which she had no memory of. As soon as she saw the face she knew it was familiar and her mind instantly launched into a flashback.

She was sitting at a stone table surrounded by delicious food that smelled better than any aroma she had ever had the pleasure of inhaling. Then she was back again and feeling very confused and flustered about she had just seen, or experienced rather, she was now sure she had been here before.

"Okay Gregor, from what I can guess, we're in this 'Regalia' place, so can you _please_ tell me what's going on now?"Boots' voice was edged with agitation and murder, but Gregor wasn't ready to tell that long of a story yet.

"Not now, Boots! Let me and Lizzie catch up with some old friends after taking a bath and getting dressed in Underland clothes, and then, us and our friends will sit down and tell you the story together. Okay?" Gregor knew that his tone was harsh, but he was so excited and Boots was being a buzz kill and Gregor realized that his excitement would turn to horrible nerves if he didn't stay positive.

"Ok! Gosh, I was just asking." Boots said her voice noticeably breaking.

Gregor sighed; he hadn't meant to intentionally hurt his little sister, but sometimes the age difference between the two was apparent. He was about to apologize sincerely and over dramatically, so that he could try and coax a smile out of her, but he never got the chance. They had reached Vikus and Lizzie was jumping down off of Izz's back and running to greet him with a hug.

When she reached him however, only his left arm lifted up to wrap around her in welcome. _Oh no, the stroke must have paralyzed the right side of his body, _Gregor thought and frowned. He guessed it was a good thing that the man was too old to go into battle. With this, he dismounted from Zip and walked over to help Boots off of Lil.

"Thank you for bringing us to the home of Temp." Gregor said earnestly, but he was really just trying to draw out the time till he saw with the only girl he ever loved.

"You're welcome warrior, you're welcome." Lil, Zip, and Izz said all at once.

Gregor tapped his foot trying to think of another way to stall, but his mind drew a blank. _Crud… Oh well, here we go._

"Gregor, what brings you here? Regalia thought we would never be blessed with your presence again." Vikus smiled, but it was weird seeing only half of his face light up. Plus he looked as if he were keeping something back, although Gregor couldn't tell if this was because he was, one of the affects of the stroke, or because he hadn't seen him in four years.

"It's Mrs. Cormaci," Gregor said, remembering the real reason he was here. He had been so caught up in the thought of seeing old friends, he forgot about her. All the worry he had had when they first descended came flooding back and he suddenly found himself fighting back tears.

"Well about that Gregor, Mrs. Cor-"He began, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, but was interrupted by a squeal that was really inappropriate for an old woman.

She rushed out of the palace having handed her tray of oatmeal cookies to a bystander, and ran to Gregor, who openly embraced her.

"Oh Gregor! You never told me how simply splendid this place is! The way you described it, I always thought it was a dark horrible place with a society bent on using others for their own biding, but these people are so nice and wonderful!" Mrs. Cormaci's face had a few more laugh and frown lines, but other than that she remained the same. "Oh, and I've met that Luxa girl, she was a fine choice if you ask me," Gregor's face had already been beet red when she mentioned her previous take of the Underland, but now he wanted to run away and hide under a rock when she mentioned that he talked to her about Luxa. As it was, he had to put his hands over his face to hide the growing blush.

"And that giant rat I was always baking cookies for, said that you_ never _shared with him. Only sweet little Lizzie, he said." She smiled at Lizzie who was climbing off of Izz to give Mrs. Cormaci a hug.

"Oh, and that Temp fellow was quite creepy, but we've gotten along fine while I've been down here. He tells me all the time how much he misses young Margaret, I mean Boots, who, by the way, hasn't given me hug!"Mrs. Cormaci faked offense but smiled. She probably knew that Boots had no idea who she was, so when Boots didn't move, she left it alone.

Gregor was really confused; he couldn't even begin to grasp what was going on, but Lizzie knew and this launched her into an attack. She gulped in air and grew very pale. As this happened, a figure came out of the shadows hurriedly, trying to calm the girl and getting her to breathe into the bag.

"Ripred!" Lizzie turned around and put her arms around the giant rat's neck. A few tears slowly leaving tracks on her face from the joy of being reunited with a friend and from the fear of knowing what was to come.

"Lizzie, what's wrong?" Gregor's brow was furrowed with concern.

"Oh Gregor," She gulped in air, because sobs were beginning to rise from within her, "Th-th-there's a n-new prophecy!"


	5. Chapter 5

**_Well hello my awesome readers! I'll make this short and sweet so you can read: Please review! Especially on the stuff at the very bottom. _**

**_The prophecy is finally here, but for those of you who have never had to write a prophecy, it was not easy and that's why it's taken me so long to update._**

**_Enjoy_**

* * *

Gregor's, Lizzie's, Ripred's, Vikus', and Mrs. Cormaci's heads were all cocked to the side, studying the prophecy that Bartholomew Sandwich had written in the corner of two walls sideways.

The beginning didn't need decoding like the others; Gregor knew most of the gory details from Hamnet.

**Where the guide went crazy**

**Where the trust was destroyed**

**Where the time of peace ended**

**Where the Rats turned bitter and annoyed**

See? That was super easy, elementary almost. It came out and just gave you the answer. Gregor was a little upset. He knew if this part was that easy, the second part was going to be much harder.

Lizzie agreed, but she thought it was going to be much easier with her here. It wasn't that she was so full of herself, but rather Bartholomew had hinted at it.

Boots wasn't with them; Dulce had her upstairs sleeping in the nursery with some mouse pups, children of the mouse pups that had never found homes after the Prophecy of Time. They had decided not to let her see this new prophecy because of her age.

Gregor remembered this and snorted. He didn't think it was funny, just ironic that they let her hear all this stuff as a three year old, but not as a seven year old, where it wouldn't have had as much of an effect on her mental state.

"I do not think this is humorous. Why are you laughing?" Gregor's heart swelled at the sound of that voice, but he also broke into cold sweat.

Gregor didn't if he should answer with a smile and a hug, sweep her off her feet and plant a kiss on her, or actually answer her question. He couldn't just ignore her, but he felt stupid and idiotic about hesitating so long before doing something.

"I just think it's ironic that they won't let Boots be in here." He spoke to the wall, afraid that his speeding heart would be evident on his face.

"Hmm," Luxa walked behind the group and tried to hide her excitement, her joy, at seeing Gregor again. Then she thought of what it would be like when she had to tell him the news she had just received, and no longer was she as excited.

Lizzie frowned, confused. _Weren't they, I don't know, supposed to kiss or something? They haven't seen each other since they were completely gooey eyed at one another four years ago, when they were__** tweleve**__. Now they had a new prophecy and they are supposed to do it together, from what I decipher. _Her thoughts mildly shocked her; she wasn't really the romantic type.

"So, have you deciphered it yet? Or are there parts missing?" Luxa tried to keep all of her emotion out of her voice and was waiting for Gregor to turn around and hug her or something.

Gregor muttered the second half of the prophecy under his breath, his brow furrowing with concentration.

**To fix what was broken**

**By the grandmother of the Queen**

**You must first find a survivor**

**And the helper who is green**

**Bring the Warrior back to life**

**He'll be wielding my old Knife**

**Strive to find the wife**

**Of the man who caused the strife**

**Once the water's gone**

**The sun may shine again**

**Under the Underland's Queen**

**Peace will never end**

**Bring the princesses along**

**You may need help along on the way**

**You can't do this on your own**

**You could go lost or cast astray**

**Beware the cutters**

**Beware the moles**

**Beware the Rats **

**Beware the holes**

"That seems pretty easy to figure out." A small voice said, causing all six heads to whip around toward the sound.

Luxa felt a pang of jealousy that Gregor turned to look at Hazard, an insignificant twelve year old boy, but not at her, a pretty sixteen year old girl. Then she felt really guilty and almost rushed to Hazard to apologize, but she realized she didn't have anything to apologize for.

Lizzie's cheeks flushed involuntarily and she put down her head causing her long brown hair to fall into her eyes. _Whoa_, she thought.

Hazard had grown tall and muscles rippled beneath his shirt from training sessions. His tanned skin made the black hair falling on his forehead stand out beautifully. The halflander's face was now tough in a show-no-mercy, dangerous kind of way.

"So, who are the survivor and the green helper, and where are we supposed to find the wife of the man who caused the strife, and how are supposed to rid the Garden of Hesperides of water? Isn't it completely flooded?"Gregor said angrily. Who was this twelve year old kid to tell him that this old prophecy was _easy_ when they always got more complicated? Think about it, in the last one he was supposed to die and take the Bane with him, but instead his flyer, Ares, died and Gregor's "death" was him breaking Sandwich's sword over his knee.

"Gregor, he's twelve and hasn't done a prophecy before, chill." Ripred almost snarled at Gregor. "Besides, we already know who the survivor is."

Gregor, Luxa, and Hazard all asked who at the same time.

"Ripred…" Lizzie said, and then fidgeted in the awkward silence.

Gregor thought back to the last time they were here and remembered him telling her all about his mouse pups and wife drowning in the flooded garden of golden apples.

"Oh…"Gregor said quietly, feeling oddly sympathetic towards the giant rat.

Mrs. Cormaci cleared her throat, saying the first thing she had said in ages. At least it was something good that came from her mouth.

"Well then, why don't we take a break? I know I'm a little tired and hungry from today's excitement. It might be my old age, but I suspect you three feel that way too. Am I right?" Lizzie, Gregor, Luxa, and Vikus all nodded their heads. "Alrighty then, let's get out of here." Mrs. Cormaci smiled warmly, motherly almost, and led the line of people exiting the prophecy room.

Lizzie turned and went straight to her room, still slightly embarrassed about her reaction to seeing Hazard. Plus she was exhausted from her panic attacks and tears and just wanted some rest. She couldn't believe that just that morning she had been making pancakes for Boots, Gregor, and herself. That felt like it was a million miles away.

Gregor watched the others split off into their separate directions: Lizzie to her room, Hazard to the nursery, Ripred to the kitchens with Mrs. Cormaci trailing behind, and Vikus to the conference room to argue with someone about something.

Luxa was walking very slowly, even hesitantly away from Gregor. He thought about, made a split second, perhaps bad, decision, and ran after her.

"Hey," He said casually, though it sounded weird and was quite hard to pull off as the four years of building emotion almost cracked.

"Hello," She said shyly. She saw his face grow a shocked impression then go back to normal. He had never known her to be shy, strong, controlling, annoying, yes, but never shy.

Without really thinking it through he grabbed her hand. She almost yanked out of his grip. How dare he touch a queen like this? But, she let her teenager emotions wash over her and didn't think, but rather went with the flow. Not wanting it to be weird, she pulled him along to her room, a place that reflected every other room, except there was just an air about it that said it was a Royals courters. They didn't go into her room-room, just the chamber in front of it; a sitting room sort of place.

Gregor turned off all the warning signs in his head and leaned down to kiss her when she was indicating to him which couch he should sit on. She went paralyzed, totally freaked at what he was doing. _ Wasn't I complaining about him not doing this though? _She leaned away from the kiss, which had still been okay, and led him to a couch where they sat down and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Gregor…" She said slowly. His heart stopped. Oh no, he had been right, she had found someone else and he had just kissed her! He was mentally kicking himself when she said it.

"I have to get engaged in the next ten days or I'll have to have an arranged marriage. The law states that my coronation day should also be my wedding day and if not then my eldest cousin will be Queen."

* * *

_**Don't forget to review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Boots stared at the wall in front of her, panicking because she didn't know where she was. She thought about sitting up, but decided not to, in case she had been kidnapped or something down that line. Without moving her head, she took in her surroundings.

She was in dark room and that was about all she could tell, given how dark it was. She barely saw the faint blue shirt and pants ensemble she was wearing. It was soft and comfortable, but she couldn't take much joy in the silky fabric since she just remembered where she was. A boat load of images overwhelmed her and she sat up as the odd pictures crossed her eyes. Some had just happened, but others were like watching a really old black and white movie and Boots couldn't help but wonder what they were.

She opened and closed her eyes a few times, hoping they would adjust to the darkness. After minutes of furtively blinking she gave up and swung her feet off the bed, her feet landing on the cold floor.

Gregor paced in his room, memories of his adventures coursing through his head until he couldn't think anymore. He had left this place with good memories and bad, but he had left with the thought that he would never see Luxa again and so their parting moment seemed perfect. They were in love and _extremely _young then and it had been so fitting for their tragic love story for him to leave. He had always dreamed of coming back of course, but he had never thought it would really happen. Now he was trapped here because of a new prophecy that he had to bring Luxa along on because she was still a princess for the next ten days.

That just made Gregor's thoughts reel more. Ten days, it was so short, such a tiny amount of time to make a huge decision. If he didn't marry Luxa, which marriage wasn't high on his list of priorities at the moment, she would have to marry Tasisurie, a young soldier who had shown a lot of bravery and courage in the war against the Bane's forces. It wasn't that he didn't still love Luxa, being homeschooled because of his Rager side hadn't really allowed him to fall in love with anyone else, but it had been four years. _Four years_ and even though that love was still there, it just to didn't seem to mean as much as it had before when Gregor was facing certain death and after when he had been numb from the death of Ares and just the whole grotesquery of war.

On top of that, this whole lovey-dovey feelings thing was really uncomfortable for Gregor. It made his just want to squirm or step out of his skin. I t was extremely weird.

He finally sat down and put his head in his hands. _Enough about Luxa, what about the prophecy?_

This set off a whole new tirade of thoughts and opinions.

Lizzie laughed, cookie crumbs spraying from her mouth as she tried to calm down. She had woken from her nap starved and went to the kitchens and found Mrs. Cormaci and Ripred snacking on chocolate chip cookies. It was odd to see the frail old woman eating cookies with the scarred rat; almost ironic. Lizzie hadn't felt out of place at all. She had always liked Mrs. Cormaci and couldn't wait to talk to Ripred. It was his sarcasm that had her spitting bits of cookie out of her mouth while she giggled.

"Be careful there Kiddo, don't want you choking now do we?" Ripred said, sounding genuinely concerned.

Lizzie swallowed still smiling. She was really excited to see him again. Being so smart basically made her a social outcast at school, especially since she had never really been able to shake the new kid feeling. She didn't have anyone to talk, Gregor not understanding because he had always been normal and then was homeschooled; Boots had started Kindergarten when they moved, and that was everyone's first year of school so she was accepted of course; her Mother had never fully recovered from the plague and then pneumonia she had suffered down here, and her father was a little bit insane and had been really depressed when Lizzie's grandmother had died. Besides, she was practically invisible, everyone else's problems seeming to be greater than hers.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," She choked out when her laughing subsided. She sighed. "So, how have things been since we left?"

"Well, Luxa's been a great leader, but after you left, the council wouldn't change the law and allow her to become queen. So, she's still just a princess but does the work of a queen." Lizzie began to interrupt, but Ripred put up a hand as if to say I don't know. "There are still a few supporters of the Bane, but they've been kept at bay. No one's been able to find out if there are any surviving Moles are not, but I'm betting there are, since we're supposed to beware of them. The cutters seem to be coming closer ever so slowly and the mice's numbers are growing larger. As you can see, the reconstruction of Regalia has gone quite well, but Vikas is not. The side of his ace not moving, it's worse than that. He promised he would make it 'till the coronation, but he spends hours in the hospital every day. Anyway, how have things been with you?"

"Grandma died, we moved to Virginia, Gregor's been homeschooled, Boots has remembered and draws wonderful pictures of this place. Mom still has relapses but works as a manager at a restaurant. Dad has nightmares and continues to go to therapy, but he's a history professor at the high school."

"Good, I guess. Mrs. Cormaci, how about some more cookies?"

Boots wondered the halls of the palace eventually reaching a dark, cold room with nothing but a giant cockroach in it. The roach's shell was graying and one of its antennas was bent.

"Temp?" Boots said, not knowing what the name meant or where it came from; maybe she had just connected the dots without realizing out: One cockroach in the castle named Temp, one cockroach in front of her. Not only that, but she hadn't said in English, a weird series of clicking noises had emanated from her mouth.

"Princess?" Came the click-like reply.


	7. Chapter 7

**_I'm so sorry that it took so long to post this chapter. December was a busy month for me with my birthday, the holidays, and celebrating the New Year._**

**_To the few people who read this fanfic: Enjoy!_**

**_ P.S. Don't forget to review! :)_**

* * *

"Wait, so you're saying I've been here before, and that we went on a whole bunch of adventure things, and we had lots of near death experiences, and…and…and…" Boots fell quiet, so confused that so much had happened to her at a young age; she was also overwhelmed with a sense of rage that no one had thought to tell her even though she had dreamt about it and told people. She remembered the first time she showed her mom one of the drawings. "Margaret, those are nonsense pictures, nonsense! Don't you _ever _think they're real! You just have an overactive imagination; now go wash your hands and sit at the table." She had been shocked at the outburst and never showed her Mom a picture again.

Boots' thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock on the door.

"Boots? We're getting ready to leave, meet us by the dining room in ten minutes. Hello, Temp."

"Hi, Lizzie, hi." Temp croaked out in a rusty voice.

"Can I bring Temp? I think it's only fair since he's the only one who's been truthful to me all day." Boots said with as much spite as possible. She was obviously upset, but the degree at which she was shocked Lizzie.

"I, uh, I-I guess, sure. B-but you sh-should ask G-Gregor, its h-his q-q-quest." Lizzie stuttered out. Her eyes were wide and she scuttled out of the cave -like room.

Boots sighed. She forgot that her sister could be so…so…fragile. But it didn't matter, because her sister deserved it for not telling her anything. For making her believe this wonderful place was just some fantastical dream.

"Come on Temp, we're going on another adventure."

* * *

Luxa, Gregor, Boots, Lizzie, Vikas, Ripred, Ms. Cormaci, Temp, Hazard and Nike, Luxa's bat, Nike, were all assembled in the entrance hall.

"First, who all is going?"

"It said to take the princesses, so Lizzie, Boots, and Luxa, even though it refers to her as Queen in the prophecy."Vikas said.

"Temp's going."Boots said.

"So is Nike." Luxa added.

"I would like to accompany you." Hazard stepped up.

"As would I, Gregor." Ripred said.

"Okay, so that's eight people? Um, could we maybe bring some other Bats or something along? How far away is our destination Ripred?" Gregor didn't want it to be like some other expeditions they had gone on. Dragging Boots and everyone else through that again, the thirst, hunger, sleep deprivation, would be torture.

"Far, but not too far; we probably would be okay without other bats, but we need enough food and other stuff to keep us going. It will probably be about a three or four day walk." Ripred concluded.

Gregor took a deep breath and thought hard about that. Bringing bats would get them their faster, but then they would have more mouths to feed and more people to protect.

"Okay, we'll only go with Nike. Vikas, will you round up some food and transportation? Mrs. Cormaci, go find us some flashlights. Luxa, you come with me to get some weapons and maybe get a little practice. Ripred, Lizzie, go with Mrs. Cormaci and find other things that would be useful. Nike, go make sure you're all ready to set out." Gregor hoped his cheeks hadn't reddened when he ordered Luxa to go to the weapons room with him; he hoped people wouldn't get the wrong ideal.

"But, Gregor, what about me, Temp, and Hazard; don't we get to do something?" Boots asked.

"You guys can just wait here or eat something before we set off." Gregor was already walking away.

Boots sighed and climbed onto Temps back. When she'd realized what she'd done she shrieked and slid off.

"What's wrong, princess, what's wrong?" Temp had asked and Boots replied.

"Nothing." But when the words came out, they had not been English, rather that strange ticking noise had escaped her lips once again.

"Are you sure Boots?" Boots glanced up at Hazard, a shocked expression on her face from hearing him use the ticking language.

He smiled at her, "It's the language of the roaches. When we were younger and tagging along with Gregor on one of his quests we both learned the language. Lizzie hadn't been down here, but you were three and I was seven and we sat on Temp's back and learned it. It was easy for you; being young and all. It was barely difficult for me: I've always been a wiz at languages. I bet you, though, Vikas couldn't learn it _or _Ripred, even Gregor would have a difficult time. But, anyway, are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah," She said and smiled back at him, "Come on Temp; let's go find something to eat."

After Boots had left with Temp, Lizzie had excused herself from Ripred and Mrs. Cormaci and walked beside Hazard.

"Th-thank you, f-for that." She smiled, slightly embarrassed by her stutter.

"For what?" He asked, seemingly confused.

"She needed that. She's been a l-little upset since we got here. She doesn't feel like we were fair by not telling her about this pl-place. I-I just think that by relating with her, you made her f-feel a little better." Lizzie ducked her head sheepishly and stared down at her feet.

"Well, it was no big deal. I'm happy to help, I guess." He shrugged and walked away.

Lizzie watched him leave and after tucking her hair behind her ear, quietly called to the others to wait up.

* * *

Luxa and Gregor walked to Gregor's room; he had to retrieve the knife that Solovet had given him.

"So…" Gregor started not really knowing what to talk about, but finding the awkward silence uncomfortable.

"How's Boots?" Luxa said quickly.

"She's good," He began, pushing things around in his back pack, searching for the dagger. "She's a lot like Lizzie; smart for her age and all. She loves to draw, paint, and all that stuff. She's really good at it for a seven year old." Luxa smiled.

"Ah Ha!" Gregor jumped up and shouted, the glittering knife in his hand. " now lets get this show on the road!"


	8. Chapter 8

**_I would just like to send a shout out to u r awesome and by the way, You are awesome! Thanks for the amazing review. I know it's late, but my internet has been acting weird and just came back up. I'm really sorry to disappoint:( Thanks to everyone else who reads this story too! Don't forget to review and Enjoy!_**

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After they'd all gathered in the front hall again, they hugged Mrs. Cormaci and Vikas goodbye and did a check list of all their supplies. Having gathered enough food, clothing, flashlights, water, and other necessities, the group of eight was on their way.

* * *

As they began their journey, Lizzie pulled a copy of the prophecy out of her back pocket and re-read it.

_**Strive to find the wife**_

_**Of the Man who caused this strife.**_

"Is it about Solovet?" Lizzie wondered to herself out loud.

"Couldn't be; Vikas didn't cause this; sure, Solovet was involved, but she forced my father, Hamnet, to actually do the damage." Hazard said from over Lizzie's shoulder, where he had been re-reading the prophecy also.

"Wait, so, that means we're looking for …" Lizzie drifted off without finishing the sentence.

"That's right, Lizzie: my Mom." Hazard looked down at the cobblestones beneath his feet; they still had to make it out of Regalia. An unexpected feeling of hatred erupted within him. Hatred for his mother and his father. They both left him, first his mother so that she could find her way back to the surface, then his father who had been killed by the cutters while trying to help Gregor. Yes, Hazard did hate Gregor a little; he blamed him for his father's death. But Hazard had come on this mission anyway. He had come to find his mom.

* * *

Gregor walked in the front with Luxa next to him. Boots and Temp were behind them, next were Lizzie and Hazard, and gathering up the rear was Ripred. Nike was flying overhead.

"So…" It took Luxa a minute to find something to say, "Where are we going to start?"

"Well, the prophecy said that we had to find the survivor and the green helper first."

"We have the survivor,"

Gregor nodded, "Ripred."

"Yeah, but what about this green fellow? I mean, is he _really _green? Or does that even have anything at all to do with him physically? What if it is, like, a mental state? I just… Gregor, where do we start?"

Gregor rubbed his forehead in frustration. Luxa had just voiced his own worries; the ones that had plagued his thoughts since he had found the dagger Solovet had given him. Maybe it didn't matter in what order they followed the prophecy, just as long as they did it all. Ripred didn't even believe in the prophecies, so if Gregor followed his theory, he, Boots, Lizzie, and Mrs. Cormaci should just hightail it out of there. But Gregor couldn't leave Luxa again, especially after she had basically asked him to marry her. Plus, he really wanted the Underland to be peaceful. He had had countless adventures here, trying to save the people of Regalia and bring peace to them. All the people they lost during the Code Prophecy War and now he, the resurrected warrior, could bring peace once and for all.

Gregor took a deep breath before speaking again. " We're going to start with finding Hazard's mom; your aunt, in a way."

"Hazard!" Luxa called quickly. They were just on the outskirts of town now.

"Yes Luxa?" He said. He strode up to them after Luxa had called his name.

"We need to know anything about your mother, the last thing she said to you or your father, anything she was interested in, all the rest." Luxa said quickly. Then, noticing how harsh her words had come out, she spoke a few more, hoping to soften them. " I'm terribly sorry if this brings up any bad memories for you, but, it would really help."

Hazard waved off the extra words with a smile. "No, no, it's perfectly fine. My mom was a cartographer; she made and studied maps. The Uncharted Lands had always fascinated her. One night, I was very young but a committed these moments to memory; she was gathering supplies, making a pack as if she were going somewhere. I asked where and she replied 'Does it matter; we'll all be going there together.' And then she ruffled my hair and was about to continue packing when my father came out of his tent. 'That's where you're wrong Karmen.' They were about to get into a huge fight; the tension was practically visible. But then my mother turned and smiled at me. 'Time for bed' she said in a voice that was much too sweet. I scuttled into my tent, my eyes on her the whole time she tucked me in. She said 'Mommy loves you' and touched my nose before leaving the tent.

"I couldn't sleep though, not with the way they were yelling. My mother wanted to map the uncharted lands, my father wanted to stay as they were, together and a family. She wanted both of us to go with her and when my dad said no she said 'Then just Hazard' but he still refused. I must have drifted off at some point, or my young mind got distracted and wandered. It doesn't matter because I know my mother lost. He was unable to convince her to stay and she had been unable to convince him to go.

"She came in later that night and woke me up. There were tears on her cheeks and her eyes were red. 'Hazard,' she said," Hazard was actually using her voice for this one. He hadn't meant to switch, but it was a natural gift and it had been a subconscious choice as he drifted farther and farther into the memory, "'Mommy loves you, you know that?' I had nodded, my head cocked to the side, an eyebrow raised because I was curious as to why she had woke me up to tell me that she loved me a second time. 'Mommy has to go, but she'll come back some day, I promise. But, you'll never forget me, right?' 'Right' I had said back, nodding. I thought she was just going to get some water, sometimes it took days to get to a river and back. 'Good.' She said a few more tears slipping down her cheeks. She kissed my cheek and then stayed there for a second. When she pulled back, she had collected herself and smiled before touching my nose and whispering I love you. 'I love you.' I whispered back and then fell asleep. When I woke up, she was gone. I would wait for hours, sun up to sun down, at least until my father told me to go to bed." Hazard's eyes focused again and that far away look was gone. He smiled sadly and then waited expectantly for an answer.

"Wow… Hazard." Luxa was the first to speak, regret evident in her voice. Regret for making her younger cousin recite such a painful memory.

"Stop." He said quickly, venom in his voice. "I don't need pity and I don't need sympathy. It was her choice to go when she could have stayed. You got the information you needed and I don't want _anything _in return. Understand?"

"I-uh- sure." Luxa stuttered, shocked at his outburst.

"Good," He said from over his shoulder as he stalked backed to Lizzie's side.

"You okay?" Gregor asked.

"Yeah, fine." Luxa said quietly. She was still pondering Hazard's outburst. He was like her little brother and he had never yelled at her before.

"Okay, so we have our first destination." He turned around and yelled at the group. "Change of plans: we're going to the Uncharted lands."


	9. Chapter 9

**_So before you read, I have a question: do you want me to update more? I could probably update once a week instead of once a month. Just review and give me your opinion._**

**_A lot of you want more Gluxa and I'll be getting to that in due time. Plus, any ideas about what you want to happen in the plot would be appreciated. Enjoy!_**

* * *

Out of all the things she had been through today, this infuriated her the most. The "Uncharted" lands, meaning what?

"What does 'Uncharted' mean?" Boots asked.

"It isn't on a map and no one has ever really explored it." Lizzie had whispered to her little sister. The group had been traveling in silence for what seemed like forever. No one wanted to break the silence, fearful the others would yell at them for taking away what was probably the most peaceful moment the group would have for a long time.

This just made Boots madder. She wasn't exactly sure why, to be honest. The situation in its entirety upset her, but this? This was pushing her towards a boiling point. She swallowed what she could of her anger and slouched back on Temp. _This is going to be one long journey._

Luxa's hand had somehow found its way onto Gregor's after a while. No one seemed to notice it, until Luxa herself did. She blushed, which on her, an albino, was very noticeable. Gregor looked down at her and wondered what was wrong. Luxa saw out of the corner of her eye that he was watching her and used her years of royal training to get herself back under control. This had never happened to her before; freely showing an emotion that was not anger or defiance was unknown to her. It was only this time when she got around Gregor. She tried to remember their mission, the responsibilities she would once again have when they got back. That didn't help because it forced her to recall that foolish moment when she had told Gregor of the marriage law and Tasisurie, whom she wouldn't mind marrying if Gregor refused. That was a lie; she really didn't like the guy. He had a coldness that surrounded him, even when he laughed or smiled, and the war had obviously had an effect on his mental state. She shuddered and this caused Gregor to look at her again. It took all of her will power not to let her cheeks color again.

"Here we are: The Uncharted Lands." Gregor said, sweeping his arms as if to welcome them to the desolate place. The small stretch that they were standing on was desert, but the desert soon faded into a lush forest, or what he assumed was lush since his torch light didn't stretch that far.

"Why hasn't this ever been explored?" Lizzie directed her question to Ripred and/or Luxa. Ripred shrugged his shoulders, "Remember that I haven't been dealing with royals close enough for that long."

"The people who had settled in Regalia didn't want to expand. They only know of the other land because they had ventured over it until they found the ground they wanted to settle on, or because they were interested in the other creatures that lurked in their new world. No creatures ever came far enough out and once the Regalians had settled, Sandwich didn't see a need for further expansion." Luxa said, immensely proud that she had remembered something from her days of being tutored, tortured rather, with Henry.

"I guess that makes sense, but wouldn't future leaders have been overcome by a sense of curiosity to explore the unknown?" Lizzie challenged.

"You must remember that, especially back in the beginning, they only did anything that Sandwich's prophecies had told them to do. As far as I know, and I have just about every one of his prophecies in the prophecy room memorized, the prophecies never said to do anything with the lands Bartholomew Sandwich didn't touch."

"I never realized your people relied so much on the words of a prophet. What happens when they misinterpret a prophecy and something goes horribly wrong?"

"As far as I'm concerned, that has never happened. Now, you two stop bickering in a ridiculous logic fight and catch up with the rest of us!" Ripred pulled Lizzie's arm. The two girls had been impervious to the others moving on without them; Gregor, Boots on Temp, Hazard, and even Nike, who was still flying above, were halfway across the thin stretch of barren terrain.

Boots had hopped off of Temp and ran to Gregor, eager to begin the adventure. He reached down and patted her head. He crouched down and the others stopped, wondering what he was doing. "Boots," He said, looking straight in to her eyes, "I just wanted to say sorry for always passing this place up as a dream for you. Some memories were just too hard to remember." He glanced up at Luxa, who fidgeted under his gaze, but looked into his eyes. "I just wanted you to forget the bad memories we had here, the war, the starvation, the thirst. You were already young and I knew we could just tell you it wasn't real and you would believe us. But, we're here now, so if you have any questions about your 'missing' past, any of us, perhaps with the exception of Lizzie, could tell you anything you like."

"Why not Liz; why wouldn't she be able to tell me things?" She asked, honestly curious.

"I was your age when Gregor and you fell into the Laundry Grate. You were the one who discovered this place, you know? Gregor found Daddy down here and brought him back to the surface where Mommy, Grandma, and I waited. I've only been down here one other time and I stayed sheltered in the prophecy room of the palace. This is my first prophecy adventure. You can ask about what happened at home because that is all I really know with the exception of a few, very few, things."

"Oh," Boots said quietly, "Well, I'm so excited right now; let's just keep going and I'll ask my questions later." She turned away from Gregor and began to run; they were all just a few yards away from the forest.

Boots skipped, waiting along the very edge of the forest and Temp and Hazard soon joined. Nike circled lower and lower and Ripred, Gregor, and Luxa leisurely walked to the forest. Gregor nodded towards Boots and Hazard and they headed into the woods.

No sooner had they gone in when a whooshing sound was heard, followed by Boots', Hazard's, and a few seconds later, Temp's screams.


	10. Chapter 10

**_I'm so happy to have such amazing reviewers. And yes, I know, I'm a total hypocrite for basically promising to update more often and then waiting for almost two weeks. My deepest apologies and I will most definitely update at least once a week when able. These past weeks I haven't really had a lot of access to my computer, odd right? Anyway, ILOVED__ your plot suggestions and some of them will probably happen. If you've got anymore, or anything else you want to mention, just leave a review. Your reviews totally inspire me to continue and the more reviews, the more likely a new chapter will be posted sooner. Anyway, sorry for making you read so long. Enjoy!_**

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Gregor relinquished his slow pace for a burst of speed as fear raced through his heart. "BOOTS!" he screamed. Luxa repeated the motion screaming for Hazard and Temp. They ran to the edge of a gigantic hole and struggled to an abrupt stop. About fifteen feet in diameter, the hole had jagged edges made of rough brown stone and seemed to stretch into endless oblivion.

"You guys are already underground! How far down can this go?" Gregor yelled at Luxa.

"I don't know! Boots, Hazard, Temp!" She screamed into to the darkness, exasperated and confused.

The three screams still hung in the air, a never ending echo.

"AHHHHHHHHHH" Hazard fell, seemingly to never stop, Boots in front of him, Temp behind.

Faster and faster they raced down, all afraid to get a hand or foot hold on the cave walls because of the sharp, jagged rock that they imagined jutted out from the sides in sharp points. The air was becoming warmer, moister, and the roaring of a waterfall could be heard, but Hazard couldn't locate it because it seemed like it was coming from all around. He knew they were going to hit something soon, whether it be land or water and he squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for a fatal impact.

_Whoosh_

A jet of air hit him, propelling upward again, and Hazard was thankful for the hot air. Air rose from beneath his falling feet over and over again until he was disoriented and couldn't tell whether he was falling or rising. He watched as Boots shot above, faster than he or Temp because of her light weight. This gave him an idea.

Luxa and Gregor had pulled it together, she regaining her royal composure and he decided to look at it from a warrior's point of view. Both were contemplating and talking back and forth to one another, coming up with and getting rid of ridiculous solutions, when Lizzie came from behind them.

"Do you think Nike would be able to fly down and catch them?" Lizzie asked, sparks of hope igniting in her eyes.

Both Luxa and Gregor hadn't come up with something better and neither could crush the hopes of the girl.

"We can always try." Luxa said, meaning to smile, but she was so worried. Hazard had once been like a brother to her, but as the years had passed, she felt of him more like her son, even though that was impossible. Without a mother himself, he had taken to feeling that way towards her and she just couldn't stand the thought of him dying or being lost forever.

"Nike!" Luxa yelled. The bat swiftly came down and Luxa explained the plan.

_God, this is all my fault. Not even a day into the journey and Boots is could already be dead. _Gregor felt like smacking his forehead in frustration and stupidity. He shouldn't have let her run ahead. He thought back to the rats and himself that had gone to eat fruit and the 'fruit' had ended up attacking them, resulting in the loss of a life. _I should have been more careful. What's Mom going to say? _He took a deep breath and put his heart and head into trying to figure out a way to save them.

_How far down are we?_ Hazard's plan had been a fail. He had taken off his shirt and put it over his head like a parachute. It had swept him up, yes, but it they were so deep he had only gotten up high enough to see the pinprick of light caused by Gregor's flashlight and Ripred's torch that marked the cave's mouth. He and the other two just continued to be blown up and to fall back down, one step forward, one step back.

Hazard didn't know anyone else had joined them until Nike was underneath him, telling him to hold on. Next, Boots was swept up and onto the bat's back, but she seemed to be unconscious, so Hazard gathered her up and sat her in front of him. Last came Temp, who seemed rather uncomfortable, not being able to hold onto anything. They zoomed back up, the world a blur around him, and when they finally shot out, they couldn't just stop, so they rocketed high into the air and Nike's breath caught in her throat.

"Guys," She yelled down, "I think you should see this."She swooped downward and landed with a soft thud on the ground.

Boots was awake now, but cowering in fear. The world dark all around her, she decided she didn't like this place and tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. She couldn't move she was so scared that she might fall into the hole again. When she had been falling, before the air had begun to push her up again, she had seen the past flash before her eyes, and a single name she just couldn't shake. _Ares._

"Oh _Boots_." Someone was hugging her and she felt small drops of cold where tears hit her shoulder. Boots sat there, still too stunned to respond, eyes cast on the ground. The person pulled away and lifted her chin so she was looking in her face.

"Boots?" Lizzie silently pleaded with her to respond in some way, say she wasn't hurt, collapse into a heap of sobs, smile and brush it off. She searched Boots' eyes until she found the tears streaming down her face in the dim light. "Oh, sweetie; come here." And she pulled her little sister off Nike's back and held her in her arms until she began to cry into Lizzie's chest. She rubbed her back and spoke comforting words softly.

Luxa had spoken to Hazard, he was fine. They had hugged. Gregor summed up that they weren't real touchy-feely-mushy-gushy people. He smiled, relieved that everyone was safe, though still curious as to what Nike was going to show them in a few minutes. He walked towards Luxa and put his arms around, feeling her stiffen then relax in his hug. He smiled down at her and she gave him a half smile back. "I'm sorry I freaked out on you earlier. I was just scared and worried and-" She cut him off. "It's okay, you're forgiven." And this time she gave him the whole smile. Gregor leaned down and pressed his lips to Luxa's, but it only lasted a moment.

"Hey lovebirds, get up here; it's important." Ripred said having just gotten off of Nike's back. Luxa blushed; even in the dark it was easy to tell through her translucent skin. Gregor just scowled at Ripred, grabbed Luxa's hand and smiled at her, and got onto Nike's back.

They rose fast and Gregor and Luxa were still in bliss from their short kiss. But as soon as Nike began to just hover they noticed the problem. The whole ground, as far as they could see, was riddled with huge and small holes.

* * *

**_Don't forget to review! (Please?)_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**I must tell you: I hate those fanfiction authors who say I have to have so many reviews to update. I'm not like that. But I do feel that the reason this chapter was so late was due to the lack of positive reinforcements. Not a lot of motivation if you get what I mean. So, I will continue to update, and I will absolutely not threaten you to get reviews. But I will say that the timeliness of my updates will increase with an increase of reviews. **_

_**Anyways, I apologizing for updating so late. I know excuses aren't excepted, so I won't try and give any.**_

**_Enjoy! _  
**_

* * *

The first night I got here, I was terrified. I was practically blind from the darkness, didn't know where any water or food was or if the water or food was dangerous, and I sure as heck didn't know what was out there. And I missed my little boy terribly. What was he going to do without a mother? I considered going back, having already discovered large fissures in the Earth, several animals that seemed to contain violent tendencies, random pools of water, and the different ecosystems ended abruptly; Forest immediately turned to deserts, deserts to oceans, oceans to jungles. Mind you, I had only been here for __**1**__day. I missed my family more than can be expressed in words, but it was already too late, in too deep. I hope my baby knows, and always remembers, that I love him.

* * *

_

They had worked it out. Gregor, Ripred, and Temp would go on foot, using echolocation and natural instincts to avoid the places where land did not exist. Luxa, Lizzie, Boots, and Hazard would all fly with Nike.

Gregor pecked Luxa on the cheek, promising to stay safe, while Ripred and Lizzie hugged, and Hazard picked up Boots and sat her on Nike's back. Then they were off, Gregor raising a flashlight, watching as Nike rose out of his sight.

"Come on… guys. We should get going." Gregor wasn't exactly sure what to call his traveling group.

"How far are we supposed to be going, Gregor? Until the holes stop?" Ripred paused and laughed to himself a little. "Because I don't think that's ever going to happen."

"We don't need your pessimism at the moment, Ripred. Luxa and I decided on a few hours and then finding a place to rest. This day has been stressful enough." Gregor's tiredness showed through as he snapped at Ripred.

Ripred just nodded and they started off with a series of clicks emitting from Gregor.

* * *

Luxa had a dreamy look on her face, as if she weren't really paying attention. _Maybe I shouldn't bother her then_, Lizzie thought. _No_, came herself responding, _get it over with now so you don't have to do it later!_

Lizzie tapped Luxa on the shoulder, the older girl responding with her head snapping towards Lizzie's direction. She relaxed and gave Lizzie a questioning eyebrow, accompanied with an annoyed look.

"Um, I just wanted to say s-sorry, for earlier. I was really just c-curious, but sometimes I can come off a bit know-it-all-ish, so, s-sorry." Luxa smiled at Lizzie and Lizzie was taken aback. Luxa never used to smile. But despite Lizzie's confusion and discomfort, she smiled back.

"You're forgiven." Luxa said before turning back around, eyes glazing over, muscles relaxing.

_Okay then? _Lizzie decided not to let it freak her out too much. Lizzie sat rigidly straight. Hazard was seated behind her and she was afraid that if she relaxed even the littlest bit, she would touch him. She knew that it was ridiculous, that he didn't have some sort of contagious disease, but she just couldn't help it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hazard was looking towards the ground, though all he could see was darkness. _My mother left me for this? A place riddled with holes? _And then his heart rose in his throat and his next thought made him immediately feel horrible for feeling resent towards her. _Has she fallen in one of these holes? Is she dead? _Hazard tried to shake the thought, but it didn't budge. He wanted to cry. He took in a deep breath and adjusted Boots, who was sitting in front of him, into a more comfortable position for himself. Her presence comforted him and reminded him of the times where she sang song after song and they learned the roach language from Temp. That made him miss his Dad. Hazard closed his eyes and willed his heart to turn stone, willed himself to not care. _Too Late.

* * *

_

Gregor panted and wiped his forehead. This was much more work than he had expected and they had been at it for three hours and twenty minutes. It was safe to say he was exhausted. He waved the flash light in the air, switching it on and off in a Morse code message: Let's Stop. Lizzie understood and told Luxa and they used their own flashlights to send a message back: We will meet you.

Gregor's caravan stopped and listened as Nike swooped down and thudded a few feet to the right of them, barely missing a hole.

"Did you guys spot any shelter?" Gregor asked to the group in general, but it was Hazard who answered.

"A mountain range will begin if we go a bit farther. I'm sure we'll find plenty of caves there."

"Okay. Nike you fly overhead again. Temp, you take Boots and Hazard on your back. Ripred, you take Lizzie and either hold her hand or put her on your back or whatever. Luxa, you're with me." Hazard and Boots tentatively approached Temp and Lizzie sat on Ripred, who had gotten on four legs to crawl around the holes. Luxa walked over to Gregor and blushed when she found her hand in his. Nike set off.

* * *

A few minutes later Nike called from above that the moments were literally right in front of them. As in, Ripred's claws tapped against the rock just as Nike finished talking. "See any caves?" Ripred called up.

"Yeah, step up and duck." The group followed the instructions and quickly made a fire.

"Is this really such a good idea?" Hazard asked glancing suspiciously from the fire to the dark mouth of the cave.

"Well, I'd rather we have light. We can always fight off any creatures that are attracted." Gregor responded.

"And to be honest, the animals we'll be scared because they probably have never been exposed to light. It would hurt their eyes." Lizzie replied before looking down at her feet and blushing.

"Okay…" Hazard sat by the fire and stared into the flames, continuing to wonder about his Mom and think about his Dad.

Luxa and Gregor curled up into one another, just happy to have one another's company. Lizzie and Ripred chatted about life, Temp was trying to teach Boots certain words in the Roach language that she hadn't been able to learn before or had forgotten, and Nike rested in the shadows. All was peaceful and tranquil; normal almost.

Then was a scuffling noise. Boots froze.

"It's fine, probably just a bug." Ripred reassured her. And then the noise came again, louder. The whole group froze and each head slowly swiveled to the back of the cave. Now it became more click like, similar to talons on a floor. _Click click click click; _each one growing louder and more ominous. A shape began to form in the darkness. A winged creature and as it got ever closer, its size increasing with each _click_, a color of the thing could be made out: green.

* * *

**_So, who thinks they know what it is? HUGE amount of foreshadowing going on here. Sorry, but you know I love my cliff hangers! Anyways, if someone can guess who or what it is, I'll put your name in the story. That is if you give a name... If not, your username will be incorporated (As in: "Hey Lizzie, u r awesome and you should know it."). Sorry, but I've ALWAYS wanted to do one of these. Also, comments and criticism are excepted as well as plot ideas. I actually plan on using all the ones I've gotten so far(hint hint!). Don't forget to review! _**


	12. Chapter 12

_**I guess this is the chapter all of you Gluxa fans have been waiting for. I was trying all of yesterday to post this, but my internet would not allow me. Anyways, you know the rest: read, review, enjoy, etc. **

* * *

I decided to waste a day and draw what I saw yesterday. I brought another journal and drew some of the flora and fauna in the area. They seem to dislike the light. I suspect that their eyes have never been exposed to it. In other words, they're blind. On the front of my journal I drew my son. I included a text at the bottom of this page also. I miss. I miss his Dad. I shouldn't have left, I see that now. But how could I have turned down the opportunity? This is what I've always been interested in; exploring my surroundings and documenting my findings. I had been working on a research paper on the location of Atlantis before I found the Underland. Or it found me rather…

* * *

_

Boots' eyes were wide, her body trembling in fear. She waited as the clicking of claws got louder and louder and a shape began to form. She squinted and stopped trembling. She cocked her head to the side. The outline looked familiar, but the closer it got to their light source - the fire - the more the shadow was tinted green. Boots could swear she knew it and it really began to gnaw at her that she couldn't place it.

She saw Gregor slowly rise in her peripheral vision and turned toward him, violently shaking her head. "Stop!" She said as he hesitantly brought out his dagger. "Stop! I recognize something about it. Just give me a second. I _know _that shadow!"

"She's right, Gregor." Luxa whispered, also standing, her hand hovering over her own dagger. "There's something eerily familiar about it. But, I don't know any creatures that are green…" Luxa pursed her lips in concentration.

"Shadow…" Gregor mumbled, thinking about what the two girls had said and looking at his feet. "Shadow," His head snapped up and a light bulb went off, "Shadow!" Gregor smacked his forehead as if everyone should get what he was saying.

"Spit it out, kid!" Ripred growled, but Gregor just kept saying shadow and began to pace back and forth, glancing up at the approaching figure every few seconds.

Everyone was on their feet now, all glancing nervously from Gregor to the greenish silhouette. Then Gregor stopped pacing. "Everyone step away from the fire." He said, a glint of excitement in his eyes. They all looked at him like he was crazy. "Now!" He said exasperated. They all did what he asked, except Boots and Luxa, who joined him.

_Click, click, click, click, click. _Gregor was going to die from excitement. Even though the color was different, if this was who he thought it was he would be ecstatic. _Click, click, click, click, click. _Boots had a flash back. _Geg-go?_ She snapped out of it and a confused look was plastered on her face. _Click, click, click, click, click. _Only a few more steps. Luxa pulled the dagger out of her backpack. If this was some evil creature and everyone else wasn't on their guard, Luxa had to be.

Gregor was practically hopping from one foot to another to contain his excitement. It was odd to see this motion performed by a sixteen year old boy.

Finally the shadow reached the fire and everyone gasped when Gregor ran to it and hugged it.

Finally it came to Boots… _Ares_.

"They all told me- but I couldn't believe them- and then I- but now I'm back- how did you- why are you green?"

"Gregor! Luxa! All of you!" If bats could smile, Ares did. "Oh it is so good to see you. I was preparing for my journey back to Regalia, a trip I had planned on tomorrow, but seeing as your all here! Why is that exactly?"

"Later. First tell us what happened to you." It was Ripred that spoke.

"I was saved from a gruesome death by a spinner. This spinner, Cassandra, had been shunned by her fellow kind. She had been trying to develop a new kind of thread or silk and she was testing it on wounded subjects. The spinners banished her because they believed she had been inflicting the wounds on her test subjects herself. All the subjects had been volunteers, though none of them survived the product. That was because they're wounds weren't something that could be fixed.

"Anyway, every spinner makes a different kind of silk. Certain ones make the silk into a weapon, others make the silk for clothing. Cassandra had been making silk for clothing, but she believed her thread was special. She believed it could heal things.

"After the battle, or during the battle, after I was… wounded(I can't remember much of that time), Cassandra had found me and wrapped me in a cocoon made of her thread. I thought I was dead, mother of pearl colors swirling around me. 'Is this where the dead go?' I had thought. My wound hurt greatly, but every day the pain subsided a little. One day I woke up and I was out of the swirling, sparkly colors. Cassandra had taken me out; I was healed. This cave is where I've been regaining my strength and where her permanent headquarters are."

"Okay…but why are you green?" Gregor glanced up questioningly at his friend.

Luxa responded before Ares had a chance. "It's a side effect. There are people in Regalia who have an allergic reaction to the spider-silk clothing; their skin turns a light shade of green. Ares' extended exposure to the silk must have turned him a deep shade of green." Ares nodded, signaling that what Luxa said was, in fact, true.

"But now, old friend, tell me why you're here: in the Underland and in the Uncharted Lands."

Gregor explained, parts he forgot to tell being filled in by Lizzie and Boots. Then Ripred and Luxa told of all that had happened in the city while Ares was believed to be dead.

"And you, young man, how have you been since we last saw one another?" The question was directed at Hazard who had gone and sat in one of the shadows. It made him look evil, the red-orange flames barely making a dent in the darkness that surrounded him.

Ares and Hazard had never been close, but Ares was still curious about the boy. And he was trying to be cautious; the way Hazard sat away from all the others reminded him a bit of Henry.

"Fine." Hazard answered. And while hat left much to be desired, Ares', nor anyone else's excitement could be dulled by the boy's pessimism.

The enthusiasm died down and slowly they drifted off to bed. Lizzie had Boots on her lap and she drifted off leaning against the cave's wall. Ripred curled up next to them and Hazard slept next to the cave's mouth. Ares had retired back into the depths of the cave, where he said Cassandra had already fallen asleep.

* * *

"So, what was it like, all those years without the weight of Regalia on your shoulders?" Luxa was curled against Gregor's chest as she watched the fire slowly die.

"I would say it was nice, but it wasn't. When we first left I missed everyone terribly, I couldn't properly mourn the death of Ares, my grandmother died, Boots kept asking why we couldn't go back, my Mom had a relapse of her pneumonia, my Dad had to quit his job to take care of us, and I started acting out at school. Getting into fights and stuff. My parents eventually took me out of school after I almost seriously injured a kid because of my rager abilities. That's when they decided to move us all to Virginia. My mom got better with a bigger house and cleaner air. She was able to get a job after a while of just working on my Uncle's farm. My Dad became a college professor and he would home school me after he got home from work. Lizzie skipped a grade and just excelled at everything. Boots, who now goes by Margie at school, became this wonderful little kid. I think I told you how she loved to draw and paint and all. She's amazing. Then she started having dreams about this place, started drawing what she saw. That's when my Mom forbade us of ever going back to New York, to the Underland. It got better for everyone else. Their lives moved on to bigger, brighter things. But, mine was always stuck here… This place made me grow up; it changed me… you changed me."

Gregor leaned down and his lips met Luxa's and it was then that he knew. She was his first and only love and he wouldn't allow her to marry Tasisurie, or whatever his name was. Now he just had to decide when to tell her, or ask her rather…


	13. Chapter 13

_I found the most beautiful place today. I'm on top of a mountain, but there are trees surrounding me. In the middle of the trees there is something that resembles a desert oasis and around that, all through the trees, there is a meadow. Above here, there is a hole that lets in light from the Overland, it makes the area seem holy, being bathed in light while surrounded by darkness. I've decided to stay here. The Underland must be as big as the Overland and that would take me my whole life to explore. No, I'll wait here until I feel my boy is grown and then venture out looking for him. Until then, a little bit of sunshine couldn't hurt. I wonder where he'll be… There's a sketch of the mountain oasis at the bottom of the page._

* * *

Lizzie's eyes fluttered open and she was immediately uncomfortable. She stiffened when she realized Boots was on her lap and then relaxed. She picked up Boots and lightly leaned her against the wall, still sleeping. She groggily gazed around the room and found it all black. She wasn't ready to be up, but a noise had woken her. Lizzie looked for Gregor so that he could restart the fire. Once her eyes had adjusted, she spotted him with Luxa curled against his chest. _Awwww! _She thought. And then was disappointed. She wouldn't wake him up; the position he was in was too adorable. She considered going back to bed, but then remembered the noise and how she would have felt much better with some light and heat. The only other person who could light it was Hazard.

Lizzie bit her thumb nail, a habit she had acquired as of late. What if Hazard got mad at her for waking him up? She couldn't have that. This was really the first time when they'd actually talked. The last time when she was there, there had only been waves and hellos in the palace corridors. Lizzie could deal with the dark. The noise had probably only been someone shifting in their sleep, or it could have even been her imagination! But Lizzie really wanted some company and some warmth.

"Hazard?" She shook him, and when that failed, poked him with her finger. "Hazard?" The boy jumped to his feet, sword drawn and eyes wild. Lizzie gasped quick and sharp and started having a panic attack. Her mouth resembled a fish's as it opened and closed. Hazard's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he blinked hard as he listened to the sound of Lizzie struggling for breath.

"Lizzie?" He stared at her, having to squint to make her out.

"I-I- S-s-s-or-r-y-I-di-I-didn't-I-didn't-m-m-m-m-e-e-an to." She choked and frantically searched for her brown paper bag.

"Are you all right?" Hazard said as she fumbled around and then leaned against the wall taking deep breaths with the bag. She breathed in and out slowly. "Better now?" He asked. She nodded, embarrassed that she just had a spaz-attack in front of him. "What was it you wanted?" He said, afraid she might start having another attack.

"I heard a noise and I just wanted someone to restart the fire, but Gregor is all curled up with Luxa and you were the only other one I knew who could restart the fire." She rambled as he glanced at where his cousin and Gregor were curled up. He went to break them apart, but Lizzie put her arm out to stop him.

"No! You've never been on or heard about one of these quest things, have you? This could be the last peaceful moment they have together! People could die after this, there will probably be times where we starve or are close to dying of thirst. There could be battles with unlimited amounts of bloodshed. Just let them have this moment and please restart the fire."

"Fine," Hazard did what he was told and then went back to bed. Lizzie followed his example.

* * *

Gregor stirred and unwrapped his arms from around Luxa's waist. He stretched out his arms and then got up and shook everyone awake. A few minutes later Ares joined them with Cassandra. She was smaller than Temp, and a little shorter than Boots, but she was still large. She was light brown and looked slightly comical with a pair of eight eyed spectacles sitting on her round head. Like most spinners, she was very shy, so after everyone said hello and she wished them luck in a high pitched voice, giving strict directions to Ares to be careful, she went back into the depths of the cave.

"Okay, we have to get over this mountain. Temp, could you carry Boots on your back and climb up the mountain? Nike, you take Lizzie and Hazard and if Ares is feeling up to it," Ares nodded that he was, "he'll take Luxa and I. Does anyone have any questions? Okay, let's go."

The group spent half of the day doing this whenever they came to a mountain or ocean. They walked the deserts and they foraged for food and collected water from the forests they passed through. Finally, when everyone was tired, they took a break and shut off all the flashlights but one. They all sipped out of personal flasks of water and passed around the different berries and nuts they'd found.

Boots snuggled into Gregor's arm and began to doze while Gregor stroked her hair. Lizzie and Ripred were discussing something and Hazard was attempting to learn echolocation. Luxa was hitting the flashlight as it flickered in and out and then gave a huff of frustration when it did die.

"Wait…" Luxa spoke tentatively and Gregor looked up in her direction. "Do you see that?"

"See what; its pitch black!" Hazard ranted.

"No, no," Luxa said, "It's supposed to be, but it isn't. I can see your face, Hazard. Dimly, but I can still see it! There's a natural source of light somewhere. Come on, grab a flash light and let's go. We're in for a desert, so it should be fine since there isn't anything to block the light."

* * *

**So, I know that this is quite a few weeks late and not even really long, but I've had a few busy weekends as of recent and I can't write during the week sometimes and a block is sitting on the creative part of my brain. But, anyway, review and all that stuff.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm so very sorry for how late this is. I haven't really almost updated in half a year, which totally sucks! But, here it is, and it is slightly short, but I _will _get the next chapter out soon. **

**I wanted to say thank you to SymetricallyObsessed, for 1) The prophecy comment (I know this great website, www. rhymezone .com and if you type in a word it gives you every word that rhymes with it) 2) Reviewing. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have remembered to finish the chapter and update. **

**Um, also; I love critique, I do, but, everyone makes mistakes. Some of these chapters I got out as quick as possible, others I went through with a fine-tooth comb. And also, if you have nothing nice or helpful to say, don't say anything at all :) And don't curse, I don't want to disable anonymous reviews because all of you are awesome, but I don't like swearing. **

**Anyway, Read, Review, and enjoy :)**

* * *

_I'm very lonely. I can't tell the time or what day it is or what year. All I know is that I've been here a very long time and I wouldn't mind a little human companionship now. My hair has grown very long and I'm carving a knife to cut it. I wash in the creek and have started weaving baskets out of the long grass that grows here and clothing out of animals that cross my path and are violent. I feel so uncivilized, being isolated for so long. I talk to myself, just so that I won't forget. And I draw, and obviously I write. I've taken a small animal under my wing. It's just a cub or a baby, so I don't know what it will look like when it gets older. I wonder what my baby boy will look like when he gets older…_

* * *

"Just a bit farther now. See, see how you can see my face and see that ray of light?" Luxa said. The group was getting pretty tired of her "motivational" speeches. They hadn't rested for but a few seconds and were really starting to feel it.

"It's sunshine, Gregor. Look, it's coming out of that hole!" Lizzie pointed from her place on Nike's back. "We really aren't that far from it!" The hole was about a yard wide and sure enough, what looked like warm, yellow sun was seeping out of it.

With this realization, everyone started to speed up, but, they were hiking up the base of mountain and soon started to slow again. The bats switched off from flying to walking every few seconds. Finally, with a great huff of relief, they reached the top.

Then Gregor had a knife pressing into the fragile skin of his throat, a few drops of blood already trailing their way to his collar bone. He stood completely still. The rest of the party drew in a shocked breath. Luxa went to attack the assailant, but Hazard put a hand out to stop her. He gave her a sharp look and shook his head.

Then the attacker spoke, a voice that was hoarse, but recognizably female. Her face was hidden in the shadows. "Who are you? Where do you come from? How did you find me?" Gregor was about to go into Rager mode when he heard that it was girl. Granted, Luxa was an excellent fighter, but everyone knows you don't hit a girl!

"My name is Luxa, I am Queen of Regalia. The one that is at the end of your knife is The Warrior. His name is Gregor. The bats are Ares and Nike, and the rat is Ripred. Please, remove your knife from Gregor's throat." Luxa spoke, her voice high and regal.

The girl slowly removed her knife, but placed a hand on his chest, not allowing him to step forward. "And the others?" She spoke it quietly, seemingly in a state of awe.

Luxa spoke again. "This is my cousin Hazard, and these are Gregor's younger sisters; Lizzie, formally known as the code breaker, and Boots, the princess foretold in the roaches prophecy. And this is Temp, hero of the roaches."

The woman had dropped her hand from Gregor's chest the moment Luxa spoke. Gregor hadn't so much as heard her breathe or shift her weight.

"H-Hazard?" Her voice, cracking, dropped below a whisper so that only Gregor and the animals could hear her.

"Yeah, Hazard… Why?" Gregor asked, a confused look spreading over his features.

The woman stepped out of the shadows. A brown and blonde braid went down to the backs of her knees. Her face wasn't Underlander white like Luxa's, but it wasn't the faded summer tan color that Lizzie's had. She had light green eyes, similar to new leaves budding in the spring, and almost the same as Hazard's, except hers were a warm inviting green, and his were an electrifying green. Her face had wrinkles, but not too many, just enough to make her look wise. She wore a pair of brown, tattered capris, what looked like a once white shirt, a jacket made out of a material close to grass, and a leather cord with a pretty steel blue stone on it sat at the base of her neck.

Hazard gasped and stumbled backwards, trying to get away. _How could she? _ _How _dare _she sow up after all this time? _Hazard had known what the prophecy said,

**Strive to find the wife **

**Of the man who caused the strife**

But he hadn't really _believed _it. But, there she was. They had found her. Or had she found them? Either way, she stood there gaping at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish, and he stood there, his eyes wide and his eyebrows reaching his hairline, staring right back at her.

* * *

**To answer some questions:**

**Hazard is very edgy because times have been hard in the Underland since Gregor left, but I have yet to go into that. Also, remember the things that have already happened to him, and now this prophecy says they're going to find his Mom, a woman who abandon him, and he's nervous about that, etc.**

**The Fireflies will be making an appearance :) They were awesome; I loved them :)**

**If any of you thought it was weird that Hazard's really, um, "protective" of Luxa (meaning when he's a little snappy towards Gregor and stuff), it's because she's like his sister and she's seen her suffer because of this guy (he's very intuitive of people's emotions) and what guy likes their sister dating? **

**Anyway, hoped you enjoyed it, I'm sorry for the lengthy writer's notes and the long wait, but I've gotten a lot better at writing and getting past writer's block. **


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